Sunday, September 2, 2012

Wooley Pond

If you've travelled Noyac Road, you have passed by Wooley Pond. The Coast Grill and Peconic Marina are both located at its edge. According to "South Fork Place Names" by William Mulvihill there actually was a man named Robert Wooley who may have owned land around the pond in the late 1600s. At that time there was a grist mill powered by the water that flowed from Turtle Pond under Noyac Road into what was then called Davis Mill Creek, now Wooley Pond. Just outside Wooley pond is Little Peconic Bay. It is not unusual for boaters to come into Wooley Pond after a day out in the bay and stop into the Coast Grill for a delicious dinner. The fabulous food and views keep the restaurant busy year round.

Wooley Pond marina

Marina view towards Coast Grill

It has been awhile since we've painted at Wooley Pond. The bulkhead has recently been refurbished so the hill down to the little motor boat is no longer there... while it was there it was a lovely vignette. The challenge that day was painting the moving boats and, as always, the changing light. Hugh created his plein air sketch at the marina and then went on to repaint the scene in the studio on a larger canvas.

Wooley Pond by Gail Gallagher 12" x 16"

Wooley Pond by Hugh Gallagher 16" x 20"

The artist Nicolai Cikovsky had a small cottage on Wooley Pond beginning in the 1940s and was also inspired to paint its beauty.